Clothesline support



July 6, 1948. N. L. PETERSEN CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- Filed May 1, 1946 N MEN J y e M M July 6, 1948. N. L. PETERSEN CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1946 m m M Patented July 6, 1948 [UNITED STATE PATENT" OFFICE I I 2,444,879 Y.

CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT Norman L. Petersen, Nichols, Conn.

Application May 1, 1946, Serial No. 666,207

This invention relates t'o-a clothesline support, and has for an object to provide an improved simplified construction in which with a line running over two pulleys one at each of its opposite ends, the outer one of which is mounted on a pole or suitable support spaced from the house, the pulley'at the house end is so mounted that it may bemoved through a windowor door opening into a room for loading the line with clothes or removing them therefrom, and then by a simple action may be shifted to a position outside the window or door to permitclosing of the window or door.- i 'It is also an object to provide an improved construction to take up the slack in the line formed when thepulley is shifted outwardly through the opening so as to keep the line taut at all times.

Another object is to provide a construction ofv this character in which when a house pulley is in its inner or loading and unloading/position the line runs over two pulleys only, reducing to a minimumiriction and drag on the linetopermit ease of operation in loading or unloading the line.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devisedthe construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming'a part of this specification, It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes andmodifioations with iiithe scope of the invention.

' In these drawings:

Fig, l is a vertical section through a house window showing 'how the device may be mounted and showing the device in the inner loading and unloading position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showin it shifted to the outer position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view with the device in the position ofFig. 1; V

Fig. 4 isa side View of the outer end portion of the support and holding means for the slidable pulleys, showing the holding means in the position it occupies just after releasing the pulleys;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the holding means in the holding position;

Fig. 6 is an end View of the device of Fig. 5 looking from the left, and

Fig. 7 is a section of the device substantially on the line '!--'I of Fig. 4;

In the arrangement of the device shown, a support for the device is mounted outside the window'or door opening in 'anydesired relation to '1 Claims. (Cl. 211'-119.05)

2 v. this opening. Thesupport' shown comprises a transverse wooden bar l0 extending acrossthe opening and mounted on the wall of the building at its opposite ends by any suitable means, such as the bolts ll, and if the bar is spaced outwardly, spacing blocks 12 may be used. Mounted on this bar or support is a housing I3, that shown being of substantially rectangular cross section and formed by folding a piece'of -sheet metal of the desired thickness or gauge. Mounts ed in this housing is a'pluralityof guide rollers l4 and I5 for supporting andguiding a longitudia nally slidable supporting bar or rod "5. This bar is preferably rectangular or square in cross section, so as not to turn in the housing. -Ihese rollers support the bar so that it-may' be easily moved between the inner and outer positions. The housing is mountedon the supporting bar It by any suitable means, such as the clamp; ll. Depending from the inner end ofthe "bar 16: is a rod ll forming a suitable operating handle, and mounted at; the lower end of this rod by a suitable bracket i8 is a grooved pulley IQ for the clothesline 20. The outer end of this line is;

I run over a similar grooved pulley 2| on -a si-m:

ilar bracket 22 supported by any suitable means; such as the hook 23, on a pole or other suitable support 24. The line therefore comprisesupper and lower runs 25 and 26, the clothes, not shown, being hung on the lower run,

Mounted on the outer end of the slidable sup porting bar It is, a third grooved pulley 21 forming a guide pulley, and pivoted adjacent the outer end of the housing l3 at 28 is a control lever 29., This lever is so mounted that its handle end 30 extends toward the windowland at its outer end carries a stop 3| extending laterallyjfrom the. lever so as to engage, some element on' the slid ing bar l6 when in its inner position to ,hold it' in this position. In the present arrangement: the end of the lever is bent or curved laterally to form a hook 3|, the'end of which seats in the groove in the pulley 21. Also mounted on the outer end portion of the'lever is a guide 32 se-' cured to the lever at 33, extending downwardly and then laterally under the upper run" 25 of the clothesline, as indicated'in Figs. 1, 4, 5' and 6, this guide being formed preferablyas a short round rod. i The device operates as follows: When in its inner position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3', the house pulley I9 is within the room andthe sup porting bar I6 and the line 20 extend through the window opening. In this position the clothes may be hung within the room on the lower run 20 of the line, and as they are placed on it they may be run out through the window outside the building in the usual manner. The clothes can then be hung while the operator is within the room without having to lean out through the window or over a porch railing or the like, eliminating the danger of falling, and also permitting the operator to remain in the warm room in cold weather, or out of the hot sunshine in hot weather. In this position the lever 29 is swung to a position so that the stop 3| engages the outer side of the pulley 21, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6. This is because as there is strain on the line there must be some means for holding the bar I6 and the pulley I 9 in the inner position. After the line is filled and the clothes run outside, the pulley I9 and the bar I6 may be shifted to the outer position outside the window or door opening, which is the position shown in Fig. 2, so that the window or. door may be closed. In the drawing the window opening is indicated at 34 and the upper and lower sash at 35 and 36. In shifting the device to this position the inner or handle end 30 of the lever 29 is first swung downwardly to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. This movement carries the stop 3| upwardly away from and to a position above the guide pulley 21,- as shown in Fig. 4. At the same time, the guide 32, which is located under the upper run25 of the clothesline, is swung outwardly and upwardly around the outer side of the guide pulley 21 to a position above this pulley, also as shown in Fig. 4, and carries'with it a portion of the upper run 25 of the line, wrapping this line around the outer portion of the pulley. This releases the pulley 21 and the supporting bar i6 so that the operator now, through the handle I1, may slide this bar and the two pulleys I9 and 21 to the outer position outside the building opening. It will be understood that as the pulley I9 moves outwardly, slack will b e'formed in the line unless some means is provided for taking it up as fast as it is formed. This is the function of the guide pulley 2'1. As the two pulleys I9 and 21 are both mounted on'the same supporting bar I8; they will move together, and as the guide 32 which is now holding the upper run of the line is stationary, the line is folded back over the guide pulley 21 and therefore this pulley takes up the slack in the line as fast as it is released by the pulley l9.

After the clothes are dry, or before hanging the clothes on the line, the supporting bar I6 and the inner pulley I9 may be shifted to the inner position by merely drawing inwardly on the handle II. This will shift the supporting bar I6 and the pulleys carried by it from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 1. As they reach the end of this inward movement, the guide 32 is drawn by the upper run of the line downwardly past the guide pulley 21 by swinging the lever 29 and carrying with it the stop 3| into the roove of the pulley 21, as shown in Fig. 5, and will thus automatically secure the device in the inner position, either for placing the clothes on or removing them from the line, after which the supporting bar and the house pulley ma be easily slid back to the outer position, as previously described. It will be seen that with this construction and arrangement, when the device is in the loading and unloading position, that is, with the house pulley I 9 in its innermost position, the clothesline 4 Therefore, in this position while loading and unloading the clothes the line runs only on the house pulley I9 and the outer supporting pulley 2|. Therefore, friction and drag on the line are reduced to a minimum and the line operates as freely and easily as any ordinary clothesline running over two spaced pulleys. This is an important feature, tending for easy operation of a line support which may be shifted into a room for loading and unloading of" the clothes without the necessity of the operator going out into the weather or being required to lean out of an open ing or over a porch rail.

.Having'thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim:

1. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a support adapted to be is entirely released from the guide pulley 21.1

mounted outside a window opening, a housing 'mounted on said support including guide means,

a supporting bar mounted in said guide means and slidable' therein between a position outside said opening and a position extending through the opening, a pulley mounted adjacent each end of the bar, another pulley adapted to be mounted on an outside support spaced from the first-pulleys, a line running over the pulley at the inner end of the bar and the pulley on the outside support, a lever pivoted on the housing, a stop means on the lever adapted to engage the pulley at the outer end of the bar when the bar is in its position through the opening to hold it in this position, and a guide on the lever positioned adjacent said latter pulley and under the upper run of the line when the bar isin the opening and adapted when the lever is swung to-release the bar to lift the upper run of the line about the adjacent pulley and retain it above this pulley to permit sliding of the bar and the pulleys thereon to a position outside the opening.

2. A'clothesline support of the character described comprising a housing, means for mounting the'housing outside a window opening-a supporting bar slidable in the housing between a position outside the openingand a position in the opening, a pulley carried by the bar adja cent each end, av third pulley adapted to'be mounted 'on a support spaced from the opening, a linerunning over the latter pulley and the pulleyat the inner end of the bar, a stop means mounted on the housing movable to and from a position engaging the outer pulley on thebar to hold the bar in its inner position, and a guide normally located under the upper run of the line when the bar is in its inner position connected to and movable with the stop means to carry said line around the outer side of the pulley on the outer, end of the bar to a position above this pulley to permit the bar and pulleys to be slid to the outer position. I

3. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a slidable supporting bar, means adapted to be mounted outside a window opening for supporting and guiding said bar, an inner pulley and a guide pulley mounted adjacent the inner and outer ends of the bar respectively, said inner pulley adapted to support a line running from an outside pulley, a movably mounted stop on the barsupport adapted to engage the guide pulley to hold the bar and its pulleys in their inner positions, a guide on the stop normally located under the upper runof the line when the bar is in the inner position, and means for shifting the stop to release the guide pulley and for lifting the guide with the line above said pulley to permit the bar with its pulleys to be shifted to its outer position.

4. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a slidable supporting bar, means adapted to be mounted outside a window opening for supporting and guiding said bar, an inner pulley and a guide pulley mounted adjacent the inner and outer ends of the bar respectively, said inner pulley adapted to support a line running from a third outside pulley, a lever pivoted on the bar support including a stop adapted to engage the guide pulley to hold the bar and its pulleys in their inner positions, a guide on the lever normally located under the upper run of the line when said stop is holding the guide pulley, and said lever adapted to be swung to a position to shift the stop to release the guide pulley and to raise the guide and with it a portion of the line to a position above and over the outer part of the guide pulley to permit the bar with its pulleys to be shifted outwardly.

5. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a supporting bar adapted to pass through a window opening, means for mounting the bar to slide between inner and outer positions, an inner pulley and a guide pulley mounted adjacent the inner and outer ends of said bar respectively, said inner pulley adapted to support a line running from an outside pulley, said guide pulley being so positioned that when the bar with its pulleys is in the inner position the line is free from the guide pulley, a stop means adapted to engage the guide pulley when in the latter position to hold the bar with its pulleys in this position, a guide mounted on the stop means and normally under the upper run of the line adjacent the guide pulley when in its inner position, and means for shifting the stop means to release the pulley and raise the guide to lift a portion of the line above and around the outer side of the guide pulley to permit the bar and its pulleys to be shifted to the outer position.

6. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a supporting bar adapted to pass through a window opening, means for mounting the bar to slide between inner and outer positions, an inner pulley and a guide pulley mounted adjacent the inner and outer ends of said bar respectively, said inner pulley adapted to support a line running from an outside pulley, said guide pulley being so positioned that when the bar with its pulleys is in the inner position the line is free from the guide pulley,

a stop means adapted to engage the guide pulley when in the latter position to hold the bar with its pulleys in this position, a guide mounted on the stop means and normally located adjacent the upper run of the line and the guide pulley when the bar is in the inner position, and means for shifting the stop means to release the guide pulley and moving the guide with a portion of the line around the outer side of the guide pulley to permit the bar and its pulleys to be shifted to the outer position.

7. A clothesline support of the character described comprising a supporting bar adapted to pass through a window opening, means for mounting the bar to slide between inner and outer positions, an inner pulley and a guide pulley mounted adjacent the inner and outer ends of said bar respectively, said inner pulley adapted to support a line running from an outside pulley, said guide pulley being so positioned that when the bar with its pulleys is in the inner position the line is free from the guide pulley, a stop means adapted to engage the guide pulley when in the latter position to hold the bar with its pulleys in this position, a guide connected to and movable with the stop means and normally located adjacent the upper run of the line and the guide pulley when the bar is in the inner position and when the bar is in the outer position located on the upper side of the bar so that the line runs from the outer pulley around the guide, back upon itself to the guide pulley and around the outer side of this pulley and back to the inner pulley, and said guide and guide pulley being so arranged that at the end of the movement of the bar from the outer to the inner position the upper run of the line straightens and becomes free of the guide pulley and this action of the line shifts the guide laterally to automatically move the stop means into holding engagement with the guide pulley.

NORMAN L. PETERSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 Number Name Date 1,716,282 Pawelski June 4, 1929 1,736,868 Winett Nov. 26, 1929 2,021,779 Harders Nov. 19, 1935 2,392,566 Artozky Jan. 8, 1946 

